


Ugly Duckling

by Nightdog_Barks



Category: House M.D.
Genre: Brain Injury, Disability, Friendship, Hope, Trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-11-21
Updated: 2008-11-21
Packaged: 2017-10-18 05:36:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/185584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nightdog_Barks/pseuds/Nightdog_Barks
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There are a lot of things Jimmy Wilson has to relearn.  656 words.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ugly Duckling

**Author's Note:**

> This is set in the ficverse of a previous story of mine, [Duck Duck Goose](http://community.livejournal.com/house_wilson/1373217.html#cutid1), which is itself no bed of roses. The text of the LJ cut is from the 1986 Woody Allen film _Hannah and Her Sisters_.

_**Ugly Duckling**_  
 **TITLE:** Ugly Duckling  
 **AUTHOR:** [](http://nightdog-writes.livejournal.com/profile)[**nightdog_writes**](http://nightdog-writes.livejournal.com/)  
 **CHARACTERS:** Wilson, House, various canon characters  
 **RATING:** PG-13  
 **WARNINGS:** While this is not a death!fic, it does deal with the aftermath of a catastrophic injury to a major character.  
 **SPOILERS:** No  
 **SUMMARY:** There are a lot of things Jimmy Wilson has to relearn. 656 words.  
 **DISCLAIMER:** Don't own 'em. Never will.  
 **AUTHOR NOTES:** This is set in the ficverse of a previous story of mine, [Duck Duck Goose](http://community.livejournal.com/house_wilson/1373217.html#cutid1), which is itself no bed of roses. The text of the LJ cut is from the 1986 Woody Allen film _Hannah and Her Sisters_.  
 **BETA:** My intrepid First Readers, with especial thanks to [](http://hannahorlove.livejournal.com/profile)[**hannahorlove**](http://hannahorlove.livejournal.com/) and [](http://deelaundry.livejournal.com/profile)[**deelaundry**](http://deelaundry.livejournal.com/).

 **Ugly Duckling**

  
The little bells tied in Jimmy's shoelaces make happy sounds -- ringly jingly to remind him to try and move his legs as often as he can. He's learning to use his legs again, just like he learned to tie his shoes again. They were both something he'd forgotten in the Dark Time, but now he's remembering more -- useful things like shoe-tying and eating with a fork and spoon and leg-moving. The shoe-tying had been really hard, and he'd heard Lisacuddy and House arguing about how hard it was. Lisacuddy had said he could stay with the other shoes for a while, the ones with the sticky flaps instead of the lacy ties, but House had said _NO!_ it was good for Wilson. And it may be good but it's still hard and sometimes Jimmy cries a little when he doesn't get it right the first time and his fingers get tangled up and that makes House's face get all wrinkly.

He has ice cream for breakfast and House tells him it's their secret from everybody, especially Nurse.

Jimmy's starting to remember more, but how he got this way is still all jumbled up and only Rob-ert Chase will talk to him about it. He was in The Clinic, and he was wearing his white coat that he always used to wear like Superman's cape, and he says _No!_ to someone in his Big Voice only it's not like he's just _disagreeing_ he's actually saying NO like House says sometimes when Jimmy wants to touch something he shouldn't because it will HURT. And then he says NO again and he's looking down a dark tunnel and then the tunnel is filled with light and thunder.

And now he's like this.

Tomorrow they're going to the water place again. He hopes the ducks will be there -- the sounds they make are funny, not like the ringly-jingly bells, but _chock-chock_ like little blocks of wood hitting together. Rob-ert Chase tells him stories about the ducks, and about the duck who was really a swan. Those are nice stories but Jimmy prefers the ones House tells, about the funny people he meets in The Clinic. Sometimes Jimmy is scared that there will be more thunder in The Clinic when House is there but so far there hasn't been.

The Rabbit tells Jimmy stories too -- stories about brave men who were able to overcome adver adversi bad times by talking to God. The Rabbit comes to see Jimmy once a week -- Jimmy knows House doesn't like it but it's part of the deal he made with Jimmy's parents so he could keep Jimmy close by. Sometimes Jimmy slips up and calls him The Rabbit in front of Lisacuddy, but Lisacuddy just rolls her eyes and makes a funny face at House.

Other people visit too -- Camron and Fore-man sometimes, but they don't ever stay very long. And then sometimes the people come who work for House now, people with numbers instead of names. They play games with Jimmy, remembering-games and catching-games and making-up-stories games.

And then at night-sleep time, after Nurse has come and gone, House plays a few more games with him and tells him some more stories, and reads to him sometimes from a big book, all about _cells_ and _long division_ and _Z is for zebra_. He tells Jimmy he was really smart once, not as smart as House but really pretty smart, and one day he'll be smart again but he has to work at it.

Your smarts are still there, Wilson, he says, and turns out the light.

Jimmy closes his eyes.

I love you, House, he says in his Little Voice, but House never answers, and Jimmy falls asleep.

He dreams about swans and smoke and white feathers, and House's face and House's hands, and in his dreams he has ice cream for breakfast, every day.

  
~ fin  



End file.
